Process of treating alkaline storage batteries.



i l i li lllillhllllll, my n l r c (1 'l EU l lillcillla to till i? l hlElT, it lJullZfu i tri l "l l 'liir flll llfd ll? will Ll bl l5 "i" f i l i l lfi.

fi oeciflctttion of Letters Patent.

hill? 1 l lF'atezuted l ie'y i986.

Application filed November 5. 1904 Serial Ila; 231.496.

Ii'o ell whom it Ji l/[15?] concern:

.lde it known that .l', .HUMAS A ll. EDISGN, a citizen of the United States, residing et- Llewellyn Park, Orange, county of Essex, and State oi New Jersey, have invented, certain, new and useful Improvements in Processes of Treating Alkaline Storage Batteries, of which the following is o specification.

In the IllH-IlllfttC'tUlG of my improved ironnickel storege battery I find that acid rcclicele, ccrboiictcs, organic matter, and other soluble impurities become lodged in the co tive messes, due to vmious cciiece,siicl1 cs inc purities in the chemicals used, carelessness in handling, the (miploymcut of impure Witter, 510. While these soluble iriipurities appear to have little or 110 deleterious effect on the iron or negative macs, they are highly objectioricble when. present in the nickel or depolarizing mess and tend to ellect a grcducl reduration in the capacity" of the letter. The presence of these impurities in the negctive mess is, however, objectionable, its they are likely to pass over to the nickel 'DTHLSS to con terminate the letter. Furthermore, the some or so bstentiell y eiriiiler impurities frequently get into my improved batteries eiter con tinued use, owing generclly to the employment of impure Water, and r e'ult in. reducing the capacity oi. the nickel mess. ln order to remove these soluble impurities from the active mosses, I carry on It process which consists, generally speaking, of subjecting the active mcecee to treatment in it hot tic solution with the concuirent generation of large quactiti e of hydrogen gas in site. Within the ective messes, the heating being eilected, preferably electrically, by passing e discharging current through the active messes. Obviously this treatment may be applied to the nickel. mess clone, since it there that the objection indicated is most ecricusly experienced; but it is preferable to at the trectinei'lt should too extend to the iron or negative mess, lior the reason that, as stated, the iiiipuritiee therefrom ere likely to find their way into the nickel knees to dole teriously effect the ecrcc. By the treatment explained the soluble impurities will be r veo. out into the solution, which is then alkaline solutiou'inured ollend it fresh troducedz'f In carrying the method into effect I first take as many of the cells as may be desired l to treat and cocroct the ire cud uicltc trodes in each cell in rippoeition to the c plated can or receptacle thereof in w way that the two electrodes shall act to cello odes and the nickel-plated receptacle insoluble anode. A, number of hcttezricc be thus connected in series to corr with the pressure oi? the disc/lie; used. I new pa e :1 reverse oh. the circuit so ihct the two electroo .7 cell, acting cathodes, "will gen, which reverse chcrg'c r. licriroin ten to thirty hours ntof charge usuz'illyused. ilhisicc h ,7

the generation oi heat, when L :1 Will be raised to and nmintzunod ct it tempera ture somewhat below the boili-zxgqqoiut "l o conserve the energy as muchpOSS'llllG, the cello are preferably covered with asbestos or some other material conducting heat slowly. Obviously the first result of the reversing current is to complct ,ly diselmrge the cotive messes; but when the letter are completely discharged they cot iosoluble cathodes in which hydrogen is developed. in the case of e nickel moss, however, the complete reduclieu thereof renders the perticlee :1 beenducting, so that the evolution of hydrogen tekee piece from the eurfeces oil the ,igrephite flakes, which ere intimately mind with the mess of nickel liydro'izil'l. Thl rout results in the eliu'iinction of t. p ties Wl'liflll pitSS out into the col ere reniio v'ed by the pouring oil 0 Apparently the el" 5 not cl u' I believe is due to the dissolving oi t, ritiee in the hot caustic colution, fr: by the mechanical cction oi the liydrl bubbles in. escaping through messes. Alter the treatment ill. eolutiou is poured oil, d fresh. solution in" troduced, the electrodes are couiicc ed c1: thercgulcr Why, Mill hour chit the "nor tll uru-1 f my me scribed depends upon the if or receptacles o'lmy rage mt rice pro surfaces of cflctellic u c .1. 7.. i' 51, tom

cl which will he on ellected by clectrolydc action in alkaline so- I ment zit scribed may be carried out in connection.

.completelylined with such materiahseparate anodes may be. employed and may be formed of plates of nickel or graphite or other suit able material, which may be introduced into thereceptacle when the reverse charging 0 eration takes place, or, instead, the electrodes may be connected up in opposition to any suitable insoluble electrode outsideof the can or rece tacle' and then subjected to the treatdiiscribed.

It will of course be understood that the process maybe carried out in connection with the nickel mass alone, in which case the iron electrode will be disconnected from the circuit and the reverse current will be applied only to the nickel electrode. If it is found after continued use that a battery falls ofi in capacity, due to the presence of these soluble impurities in the nickel mass, the method detherewith, including the treatment of both active masses or of the nickel mass alone. When this is done, it will be found that the cells will recover substantially their ori inal capacity, the recovery, in fact, being within a very small percentage of the original capacity.

Having now fully described my invention, what i claim as new therein, and desire to se- '3 cure by Letters Patent, is

I. The process of eliminating soluble impurities from storage batteries employing depolarizing masses of nickel 4 oxygen compounds, which consists in opposing the nickel mass to a suitable anode in an alkaline solution,

in then passing a reverse current through the nickel mass to generate hydrogen therein, and result in the heating-of the solution, whereby the soluble impurities will 4 be driven off into the solution, and finally, in

pouring oil the solution, substantially as set forth.

2. The. process of eliminatin soluble-impurities from alkaline storage atteries em ploying active masses of oxygen compounds of nickel and iron respectively, which consists in opposing both active masses as cathodes to a suitable anode in an alkaline solu-' ticn, and in then passing a reverse, current 5 through the same to heat the solution and generate hydrogen gas in the active masses to thereby force the impuritiestherefrom into the solution, and in finally, removing the solution, substantially as set forth.

The process of removing soluble im 11- .rities from the depolarizing mass of an al aline storage battery, which consists in connecting the positive electrode thereof 111011- cuit with an inactive conducting surface in an alkaline solution, in passing a reverse current between the two, whereby the solution will be heated and hydrogen gas developed in the active mass, and in finally, pouring off the solution, substantially as set forth.

4. The process of removing soluble im urities from the active masses of an alkaline storage battery, which consists in connectin the two electrodes as cathodes in circuit wit an inactive conducting anode in an alkaline i solution, in passing a reverse current between I the two, whereby the solution will be heated and hydrogen gas will be developed in the active masses, and in finally, pouring off the solution, substantially as set forth.

5. The process of removing soluble impurities from alkaline storage batteries, employing conducting-receptacles of an insoluble metal, which consists'in connecting the the depolarizing mass as a cathode in circuit with the conducting-receptacle in an alkaline solution, in passing a reverse current between the two to heat the solution and generate hydrogen gas in the active mass, and in final y pouring off the solution, substantially as set iorth.

6. The process of removing soluble im urities from theactive masses of an alkaline storage battery employing conducting receptacles of ,an' insoluble metal, which consists in connecting the two electrodes as cathodes in circuit with the conducting-receptacle as an anode-in an alkaline solution, in passing a reverse current between the two to heat the solutioni'and generate hydrogen gas in the ac tive masses and finally, in pouring off the solution, substantially as set forth.

The process of removing soluble impurities from alkaline storage batteries, em ploying conducting-receptacles of an insolule metal, which consists in insulating the reconnectingthe positive mass in circuit with two to heat the solution and generate hydro-.

gen gas in the active masses and in finally,

pouring oil the solution, substantially as set forth.

8. The process of removing soluble imlpurities from the active masses'of an alka me storage battery employin a conducting-re ceptacle of insoluble meta which consists in insulating the receptacle to reduce the dissipation of heat, in connecting the two negative masses as cathodes in. circuit with the conducting-receptacle ah an anode in an alkaline solution, in passing a reverse current between the two to heat the solution and generate hydrogen gas in the active masses, and in finally, pouring off the solution, substantiall as set forth.

Tiiis specification signed and witnessed this 29th day of October, 1904. l

Witnesses:

FRANK L. DYER; J. W. AYLsWoRTH.

/ ceptacles to reduce the dissipation of heat, in

IIO 

